Hope Flies
by Twilight PhoenixFyre
Summary: Raven is an orphan. No home, no family, and nothing to lose besides her patchwork fairy deck. So when a professional duelist and hot icon in the U.S. offers her a chance at a new life, she accepts. New friends, new challenges, and… uh-oh. Something tells me that this isn't going to end well. 'T' for violence and cursing.
1. Chapter 1, CLOZA

**Kairi: Well then… Thank you to everyone who read Feather Faith and did not bother to inform me that it was horrible… (And that was mostly sarcasm.) On another, completely happier note… I'm back! With a much, much, much better version, which has obviously been renamed. So, read and enjoy! (I'll just be in the back eating popcorn.)**

* * *

**Hope Flies – Chapter One**

**CLOZA**

You walk into a dark room. It's barely illuminated, but your eyes adjust quickly. You're supposed to meet someone here. The woman (Twila Hogan, did she say her name was?) said she wanted to talk, but you seem to be alone.

You stand by yourself for a few minutes, checking the clock on your phone every once in a while. You're about to turn and leave when another door, one you hadn't noticed before, opens. A woman with very short, dark hair steps into the room, her silvery-gray eyes scanning the area quickly.

"Come this way," she says, waving you forward. You contemplate leaving for a few moments, but then decide to follow her. She closes the door behind you and leads you down an even darker hallway. The lack of light causes you to notice that her eyes seem to be glowing a light silver. Or is that just your imagination?

"We're almost there," she tells you. Then she opens another door and you step into the room.

It's well-lit, unlike the last, and it's huge. It seems to be a private garden of some sort because there are trees and grasses and flowers all around. "This is my sanctuary. A series of hidden doors and corridors keeps it hidden from people who like to search thoroughly," the woman explains, sitting in the lush green grass. It's quite long, reaching up to your mid-calf. "Please, sit. What I must tell you will take quite a while to recount," she says.

You decide to sit down next to a tree and lean back against it. The woman, now that you can see her more clearly, appears to be in her early thirties. She's wearing a dark blue tank top with tight black pants and black combat boots. There is a silvery, cat-like marking on her right shoulder, and her black hair is trimmed short, so short that the longest strands are only a few inches in length.

"Alright. Let's hear it then," you say, finally speaking up. The woman smiles.

"I told you over the phone that my name is Twyla Hogan," she begins. "But that's not my true name. My true name is Raven…"

* * *

"Raven, hurry up! Big Brother's gonna start without you!" I smirked at the thirteen-year-old boy running in front of me as I pushed myself harder.

"Really now?" I asked, shooting out in front of him. We were running past the tiny strip mall on the east side of town, and we still had a ways to go. The boy's shaggy, sand-colored hair flipped around in the breeze even without him running. I was certain that my own black hair would be flying all over the place, were it not contained in a simple black ponytail holder.

The boy cried out in surprise as I passed him. I was four years older than him, but that didn't mean that I was slow. I was only seventeen, and despite having lived all my life on the streets, I was in my prime. I wasn't going to give up, on anything.

The two of us raced across the street. There weren't any cars going along, so there weren't any problems there. I grinned. "Hey, Kyle! You're losing!" I yelled back at my friend. I heard him laughing. The storage unit we were headed for was on the far side of the lot, so we still had a ways to go. Not that it mattered at that point, as I was so far ahead of Kyle that he wouldn't have any chances to catch up whatsoever.

We reached the storage unit in what must have been record time for us, but it still wasn't fast enough for Veronica.

"I don't know why we even bother waiting for you two slowpokes. You're never going to show up on time," she whined as we walked past her. I rolled my eyes. The storage unit meeting 'room' wasn't the blonde's thing, so she tended to stay outside until Dylan called us in. Looking around, I had to smirk. Kyle and I weren't the last to arrive today, after all.

"Hey, Raven! Whose house are you staying at tonight?" another, smaller blonde asked from across the room. I shrugged.

"I dunno, Silvia, but I've got my little hobo palace set up not far from the pond," I told her. She rolled her eyes at my name for the scrapped-together tent I was referring to.

"My room's cleaned; you can spend the night with us," she told me. I smiled.

"Alright. Thanks," I replied, looking around the 'meeting room'. There were large, industrial-style wooden crates stacked all around in the twenty-by-forty storage unit, and in the center here, they were arranged in a mostly circular pattern, leaving space for the walkway that came in from the opening. There were thirteen of us, so seating arrangements weren't a problem because of this.

Each of the seats was marked by a different colored rug depicting a different animal. Kyle was already sitting down in his seat, marked by a yellow rug with the depiction of a ram. To his right was Veronica's seat, which was marked by a snake on a green rug. Then there was the break for the pathway. On the other side was a silvery rug with a cat on it.

That's where I sat. I pulled my knees up to my chest and waited. I knew from a quick glance around that the missing members were Lawrence and Mayne, and that if they weren't here yet, they'd be a while.

I was thinking about my 'hobo palace' when Zoë, a quiet, dark-haired girl who wasn't afraid to use a knife on herself walked over and sat in the spot next to me. Mark, who belonged on the white rug with the black horse outlined on it, didn't seem to mind. Actually, Mark rarely seemed to mind anything.

"Hey. I heard you're staying at Silvia's tonight," she said, her soft voice catching my attention. I nodded.

"Yep. Why?" I replied. She shrugged.

"Cheryl's back in town. She brought the good stuff," she told me. I sighed. I knew exactly what she was talking about, and after the police had apprehended me the last time I had gotten drunk, I wasn't sure I wanted to go another round with Zoë and her sister. Those two could hold their own against grown men. I, on the other hand, could only handle so much.

But, I hadn't had alcohol in a while, and when Zoë said 'the good stuff,' she meant, 'the good stuff.' I wanted to try and stay clean, well, as clean as I could get at that point, but something inside my head was begging me to accept her offer. "When?" I asked. Zoë smiled slightly.

"Tomorrow night, then," she replied before getting up and heading over to her seat, a brown rug depicting a boar. Aaron, a relatively tall man, sat between her and Kyle on an indigo rug that depicted a rooster.

Dylan, our oh-so-wonderful leader, was sitting in his seat like it was a throne. I could barely see the golden rug underneath his black coat, but I knew that there was a picture of a dragon on it.

Finally, the late duo, Mayne and Lawrence, arrived. I could hear Veronica whining that they had taken so long, but, after exchanging a look with Jessamine, or Jessie as she prefers, we both started snickering.

"Jessie, have a seat," Dylan told her. The turquoise rug to his right depicted a rabbit, and that's where the redhead sat. "Veronica, Mayne, Lawrence, get in here!" he called. The trio came, redheaded and wild Lawrence first, who took his seat to the left of Dylan on the violet rug showing a tiger. Mousey little Mayne came next, taking the final seat of the six to Dylan's right, between Jessie and Zoë. Her rug was gray with an ox on it.

Veronica was the last in, and she took her seat as the three wandering members found theirs. Roark's rug showed a black background with a white rate on it, while Silvia's rug was blue with a dog and Ray's was red with a monkey.

Finally, all thirteen of us were sitting in a circle. Dylan looked over at Mark, who stood and took the laptop he was handed. It was already turned on, and I remembered that Dylan had been doing something on it when I had come in with Kyle.

I sighed, knowing that I'd have to do what Mark was doing during the next meeting. Except that he can type quickly, and I can't.

"As this second week comes to an end, we, the members of CLOZA, meet once again in order to re-affirm our grasp on the ties that bind us together as representatives of the Zodiac," Dylan began. I mentally translated his words to: 'It's time to talk about boring stuff again.' Dylan continued, despite my mental translations. "We have multiple items on our agenda today, including standard CLOZA assignments, special assignments, a dueling tournament, and the housing of our dear Cat."

Translation: 'We're going to talk about things everyone except me is going to do for the next two weeks and then we're going to figure out who is going to keep me out of my hobo palace.'

Then something caught in my brain.

Dueling tournament?

The next thing that ran through my mind was: Please, please, PLEASE let me compete!

Oh, yeah. I guess I should back up and explain a few things that are probably confusing you. First, CLOZA. It stands for 'Cooperative League of Organizations of the Zodiac, America.' We're actually the Illinois division of CLOZA. There are forty-eight divisions, one for each of the continental states. Each member is aligned with one of the twelve Zodiac signs…

Second, yes, Dylan did call me 'Cat'. And no, the cat is not in the Zodiac. It was left out of the Chinese Zodiac, though apparently it was substituted for the rabbit in the Vietnamese Zodiac. The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac plus the cat make up the available positions for each division of CLOZA. During our meetings, we're supposed to refer to the others by their animal. So, I'm supposed to call Dylan 'Dragon' and Silvia 'Dog'.

And I get called Cat. Or Kitty by Veronica. I've given up correcting her.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, tuning out of the meeting while assignments were discussed. I never got any assignments because 'the cat is not an official member of the Zodiac and so cannot complete that which must be done by the Zodiac'. Translation: you're not really a member of the group.

So why do I keep showing up? Oh, right. Because Dylan likes sending us to dueling tournaments and I'm actually allowed to go to those… So long as he's only sending one or two people to duel. Any more than that, and it becomes 'a statement of CLOZA's goals and ambitions'. In other words, since I'm not a true member of the organization, I can't compete.

I held back a sigh as Dylan pulled out a set of manila folders. Since I would have to type next meeting, this was my job this meeting. I walked over and took the folders, glancing at the animal on top to identify who the assignment was for. The first time I had done this, I had handed them out to all the wrong people and had to be corrected multiple times. Now, it was a simple task to check the animal and hand the folder to the correct person.

There were only five folders, so after passing them out, I took a seat. Now that the assignments and special assignments (the details were in each folder) had been covered, we could get on with the dueling tournament. This, I would definitely pay attention to.

"The World Championship is taking place in four months at San Francisco," Dylan began, pulling out a piece of paper. "The requirements for entry are as follows: The participant must use a legal deck that has been approved by tournament authorities. The participant must have placed in the top sixteen of a regional tournament. The participant must not be participating in any other tournament at the time of the World Championship tournament."

"Well that's easy. Everyone here has legal decks, and no one's stupid enough to host a tournament during the World Championship," Lawrence commented. Dylan shot him a look that he missed, although at that point he was done talking anyway.

"What about the regional tournament?" I asked. Dylan nodded.

"The tournament in Chicago next week is a regional tournament. The top sixteen will be qualified to join the World Championship in four months," he said. "I have six participant forms. The other six will have to settle for watching," he added. I felt ice crawl across my heart at his words.

No, I wouldn't get to compete this time. After all, how could I…

…when I wouldn't be going to this one at all?

* * *

**Kairi: So then… That is a MUCH smoother beginning than Feather Faith had…**

**Male voice: No kidding.**

**Kairi: -yelps and turns around, then spots a black-haired man sitting on top of a bookshelf- Zylar! What are you doing here? You haven't even been introduced to the story yet!**

**Zylar: -shrugs- So? I was bored.**

**Kairi: -sighs- So I guess I'm going to have to deal with you 'helping' me for this story, huh?**

**Zylar: Yup. Just like Tobias in Destiny Call and Dark in A Spatial Tear.**

**Kairi: Whatever… -turns back to readers- Eheh, sorry about that… Please leave a review, even if it's really short! We'll be back… er… whenever the next date in my profile is…**

**Zylar: November 22nd, aka. Thanksgiving.**

**Kairi: Oh, right… I still need to finish that little Thanksgiving special I was doing… Well then, I'm off! –poofs-**


	2. Chapter 2, Deception

**Hope Flies – Chapter Two**

**Deception**

You look at Twyla—Raven—whatever this woman's name is—skeptically. Her story sounds pretty strange so far, and you're not entirely sure whether you can trust her yet or not. She seems to notice your indecision, and smiles sadly.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asks. You contemplate your answer, but she doesn't give you a chance to speak again. "If you think that little bit of my story was hard to believe, it gets even crazier."

You're silent for many moments. Yes, her story seems a little difficult to believe, and yes, she is claiming that the strangeness hasn't even started yet, but she left you on a bit of a cliffhanger. You sigh. "Alright," you say. "I'll hear a little more."

The woman smiles and begins again.

* * *

"_The tournament in Chicago next week is a regional tournament. The top sixteen will be qualified to join the World Championship in four months," he said. "I have six participant forms. The other six will have to settle for watching," he added. I felt ice crawl across my heart at his words._

_No, I wouldn't get to compete this time. After all, how could I…_

…_when I wouldn't be going to this one at all?_

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! There's thirteen of us! If you've got six forms, then _seven_ of us will be watching, not six!" Kyle cried out in my defense. Veronica snorted.

"Six will be watching _live_, Ram. Little Kitty will just have to settle for the TV… If she's even in a house by then instead of her little tent," she commented. I pulled my knees up to my chest again. I wouldn't cry, I swore to myself that I would never cry, or at least not in front of other people, because crying showed weakness.

"That's not fair to her!" my friend continued to argue. I rolled my eyes.

"Kyle, that's enough," I told him. Veronica shot me a dirty look, probably because I had used his actual name instead of his animal, but I didn't care. I knew that Kyle wouldn't give up unless I told him too, and that meant using his real name.

Dylan relaxed into his seat again. "Tell us, Cat. Who do you believe would be best suited to duel in this next tournament?" he asked. I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow, forcing myself to keep a neutral face. I looked around, thinking about each of the members gathered and their dueling styles.

"You won't let her go and yet you're forcing her to choose?" Kyle cried out angrily. He stood up, but I was faster, grabbing him and pulling him away from the group.

"Kyle! Kyle, listen to me!" I growled at him. "Fighting your brother won't do either of us any good. It'll get you more chores at home and it'll put me out of a sturdy shelter for a week. Alright?" Kyle was crying, obviously upset. The boy had never really had any luck making friends his own age. I was the only true friend he had, and he mine. But when it came right down to it, I was, to put it in the words of an evil vizier from a popular Disney movie, a street rat.

"Have you calmed yourself?" Dylan asked Kyle as we returned to the rest of the group. Kyle ignored him, sitting in his place and mimicking one of my favorite seating positions. I sighed and did the same, hugging my legs more tightly than usual. Dylan cleared his throat. "And, in response to your outburst from earlier, I'm having Cat choose because she cannot choose herself and therefore her opinion is slightly less biased than Veronica's or Lawrence's, who would both immediately choose themselves," he added.

I did actually roll my eyes at that one, but Dylan didn't notice it. He didn't choose me because my choice would be less biased due to my inability to participate, he chose me because I knew the most about their dueling styles… except for his. I had never seen Dylan duel, though the deck holder I had spotted him slipping into his pocket on multiple occasions was evidence that he did actually duel.

I started looking around. Jessie, I knew, wouldn't mind the crowds, and she was a good duelist, but the deck she was using right now was not in any way suited to her dueling style. I didn't blame her for using her recently-deceased twin brother's deck, but she really needed to use her own.

"Jessie?" I spoke up. Her eyes, which had been focused on the choker she was braiding together, snapped up to meet mine. "I know you're using Jasper's deck because of the connection you two shared, but if you want to compete in the tournament, you'll need your Harpy deck," I told her quietly. Her ice blue eyes looked down at the choker she had been working on before looking back up at me.

"Alright. Jazz wouldn't want me using his deck all the time anyway," she said. I looked up at Dylan, who handed a form to Jessie. The redhead took a clipboard as well and started filling it out as I went back to looking around the group.

Mayne was the next to catch my attention. She was quiet and rather timid normally, but in front of a whole crowd in a duel stadium, she became a strong, steady anchor. So long as no one tried to bug her too much in between matches, she'd be fine.

"Mayne?" I spoke up. She bit her lip. "You're good in front of crowds. Try not to let anyone badger you between matches and you'll do well," I told her. She smiled and nodded at me, then took the form Dylan offered her.

"Any chances I can duel this round?" Lawrence spoke up. I thought about him for a moment. Lawrence wasn't a bad duelist, but he was a show-off, and tended to get distracted and wrapped up in his own head. He would go onto my 'maybe' list.

Roark, who sat next to him, was a definite 'no'. I loved the guy, really, I did, but he was a horrible duelist. I sighed and added another four members to that list. Dylan was a 'no' because I knew nothing about his dueling style. Kyle, Zoë, and Ray, on the other hand, were great duelists, but they hated crowds, and the tournament was a big one, so there were bound to be hundreds of people out there watching. Not good for them.

I looked around at the remaining five choices. Of those five, one would not be allowed to go. Each of them had a weak spot. Lawrence was too easily distracted by himself, Silvia couldn't shut her mouth once she got started, Aaron was a little too arrogant for his own good, Mark was too focused on offense to remember his defense, and Veronica was… just plain aggressive. And whiny. And downright difficult to listen to.

I added her to my list of 'no's.

"Lawrence, keep your head in the game. Don't get wrapped up in your own head," I told the redhead. He grinned, taking a form from Dylan and filling it out. Mayne smiled to, and I almost rolled my eyes at the two. Then I turned to Silvia. "Silvia? Say what you absolutely have to and no more, or you'll get distracted," I told her.

"Yeah, yeah. I know I run my mouth when I duel," she grumbled, accepting a form from Dylan. A few of the others chuckled.

"Aaron? Feet on the ground, head out of ass," I said quite simply. Quite a few more chuckles broke out at that one, and even Dylan let slip a slight smile as he handed Aaron the form. I turned to the boy sitting next to me. "Mark, I have three words for you. Defense. Defense. Defense," I told him. He smiled slightly and took the last form as Dylan turned to sit back down. I looked around.

Jessie, Lawrence, Mayne, Silvia, Aaron, and Mark. No, they weren't the best duelists in the group… but they were the best choices given the circumstances. I sighed as the reality of it all crashed over me again.

The six of them would be competing in the tournament. The other six would be going to Chicago with them to watch.

I would be staying here.

"Now that we have sorted that matter out, there remains the dilemma of Cat's housing," Dylan said. I rolled my eyes.

"Silvia's house tonight, Zoë's house tomorrow night, and then back to my hobo palace for two weeks," I said simply. "I'm quite happy with those arrangements."

Kyle opened his mouth to argue, but I shot him a glare, and he closed his mouth without a word. Dylan looked around, waiting for someone else to argue, but it seemed that no one felt like it. "Very well then. We shall re-convene two weeks from today, tournament allowing," he said. "To each of you your own enlightenment, and for each enlightenment a new rebirth of your souls."

"To a new enlightenment," the twelve of us chorused, some more quietly than others.

Lawrence and Mayne were the first two out, followed by Jessie, Roark, Aaron, and Ray. I remained seated. I wanted a little time to think… and cry. But I wouldn't cry in front of others. That was forbidden. I had to wait until everyone was gone.

Oh wait… I was staying at Silvia's tonight, wasn't I?

"Raven? Are you coming or not?" I sighed and stood, brushing off my dirty blue t-shirt and walking out of the storage unit. I decided that it would be best to hold it in until the next night. I was going to be at Zoë's, and her sister had alcohol. Good alcohol.

Yeah, I was going to have some fun tomorrow night.

But, between now and then was a night and a day. And experience told me that nights at Silvia's house were boring. Her family was very strictly Catholic, unlike the blonde herself, so there was always a prayer before food and prayers before bed. I had written a prayer a long time ago, back when I still believed in a God. Whenever I spent the night at Silvia's house, I recited that prayer. It was quite simple, really. Yes, I had modified it slightly since then to allow for my new life, but it really hadn't changed all that much.

Silvia and I sat on our knees beside her bed that night after dinner. She had a small prayer bag hidden under her bed. She would always pull one out, read the prayer, and then put it back before climbing into bed. But I didn't need to read my prayer from a paper anymore. I knew mine by heart, regardless of my lack of faith.

"Dear lord, I ask that you protect my mother, my father, and my brother in your holy kingdom of heaven, and that you allow the love I send with each prayer to reach them. I ask that you protect my soul from the darkness that claimed their souls, and that you protect Kyle from the evils of the world his siblings will one day fail to hide him from. I thank you for your grace in giving me friends who shelter me in times of need, and I am grateful for the life you have blessed me with. Amen," I recited. Silvia read her prayer and climbed into bed, while I laid on the floor. I didn't like sleeping in beds. They were too comfortable, especially when I was used to rocks.

Heck, floors were comfortable. Nice, even, no sharp, spiky things digging into your back. Floors were heaven for a street rat.

The next day was boring. I spent most of it out by the city pond. There was a small creek coming off of it that was surrounded by trees, and that was where I had set up my 'hobo palace'. Kyle and I spent most of the day pretending that he was an elf and I was a fairy, and that we were in a magical land known as Foreia, and that the creek was actually a huge river called Leidacoi that separated our kingdoms after a great war.

But, as the sun began to fall, he made his way home, and I headed to Zoë's house. Kyle had kept my mind off of the tournament, but as I walked up the street to my cutter friend's home, I found that I was laughing to myself. The day before, I had been uncomfortable about going over because I didn't want to get drunk again.

Now, I seriously wanted to get hammered.

* * *

**Kairi: So then... Please review. It seems slow right now, but trust me, things really pick up next chapter. (That probably has something to do with the fact that we have our first duel of the story taking up most of the chapter.) Anyway, I'll see everyone on the... er... sixth of December. (And hopefully I'll hear from some of you between now and then too.)**


	3. Chapter 3, Duel

**Kairi: Original Characters and Cards are mine, everything else still belongs to Konami and whatnot.**

* * *

**Hope Flies – Chapter Three**

**Duel**

You raise an eyebrow at the woman in front of you. You find it difficult to believe that she would have possibly wanted to get drunk as a teenager.

"It wasn't one of my wisest decisions," she tells you. Then she looks up from the grass she's been braiding—er, knotting… because that tangled mass cannot possibly be a braid—and looks you directly in the eye. "But it got me out of there."

You're confused now. "How?" you ask. Twyla… No, Raven smiles.

"Zoë, Cheryl, and I had one of our special drink-mixing contests. Normally, I tell them to make something fruity for me. That night, I wanted something strong. They had me knocked out in two rounds, and quite literally at that," she tells you. You roll your eyes.

"I still don't see how that helped you get out of there," you tell her. She laughs.

"My hangover the next morning wasn't too awful, but I kept getting dizzy spells. I went out for a walk to try and get rid of it… That's when I found him…" she tells you. You adjust your position against the tree to get more comfortable. Somehow, you have a feeling that her story is about to become more interesting.

* * *

I growled as the sun finally got around to peeking over the horizon. I didn't want light. It hurt my eyes.

Oh well. My fault for getting stoned.

I sighed and stuffed my hands into my pockets. I hadn't gotten dizzy for a while, so I figured I was good to go. I was on the square, a good twenty blocks west of Zoë's house. Not that she or Cheryl would be looking for me. They knew I preferred to nurse my hangovers alone.

I sighed again. There wasn't much to do this early. Not many people were up, and those that were weren't walking around town like I was. I figured that I might as well head back 'home' to the pond, so I took the western road off the north side of the square. Now, the pond was northeast of my current location, but it was easier to get there the route I was going. I'd have to walk past two schools though, and that almost never ended well.

I sighed and listened as the bells in one of the churches identified it as being six o'clock. I smiled. I still had plenty of time to get back before school started, so I was taking my time walking along.

As I neared the elementary school, I had a few different options. I could go through the drop-off alley and walk around the baseball fields, which was the fastest option, or I could go either around or through the elementary school playground and go the long way around.

I decided to take the walk through the playground. I didn't even bother with the large blacktop; I didn't feel like walking on more asphalt. I hadn't noticed the man—well, teenager, really, he couldn't have been much older than me—that had been sitting on a bench. I wasn't even halfway across the playground when I finally noticed him on one of the benches to my left. He was looking through a deck of cards, so I ignored him, and he ignored me.

Then the dizzy spell hit. The only direction I could figure out was left, because that was where the man was running over from. He caught me before my head could hit the ground, and I smiled weakly.

"Hi," I breathed. A moment later, the dizziness faded and I sat up to get a good look at the guy. He looked kinda familiar, with his black hair falling near his shoulders and his bangs nearly covering one of his crimson eyes. The first thing that popped into my head was the thought that crimson was a strange eye color.

But then, my eyes were the shade of liquid silver, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining.

"Your eyes are quite beautiful," was the first thing he told me. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks before I could stop myself.

"Thanks. I… get that a lot…" I replied. He laughed and stood, then held a hand out for me to take.

"I imagine. I've never seen that shade of silver before," he stated. I took his hand and smiled as he pulled me to my feet. "What's your name?" he asked. I looked up at him in mild surprise.

"Raven," I answered simply. He tilted his head to the side.

"Just Raven?" he wondered. I nodded, and he sighed. Then he held out his hand, this time for me to shake it. "Zylar Hunt," he stated.

Then I realized where I had seen him before. I shook his hand while my mind whirred back to full capacity. "I know you…" I muttered. He laughed.

"Most do, nowadays. I was mildly surprised that you didn't recognize me though," he told me. I shrugged.

"I don't have a TV, so I tend to be really out of the times," I replied. He examined me a few moments longer.

"Do you go to school here in Auburn?" he asked. I shook my head, and he frowned.

"I'm eighteen, and I judge you to be younger than I. You should getting ready for school at this hour, so why are you wandering around town if you don't go to school here?" he asked. My smile turned into a neutral gaze that seemed to have him confused.

"I'm seventeen. I'm a legal drop-out," I informed him. Actually, I wasn't, but that was the story that kept the truancy police off my ass, so it worked. Zylar raised an eyebrow, however.

"Now, why would you want to drop out of a wonderful school like the one here at Auburn?" he inquired. I reached for the small duel disk I usually carried in a bag on my back, but then realized that it was still in my hobo palace and scowled. I definitely had my deck with me, but without a duel disk, I'd have to play the old-fashioned way, and that just wasn't as much fun.

"I'm homeless," I answered honestly. "I know enough to get by, that's what matters." Zylar seemed intrigued, not only by my answer, but also by the movement I had made when reaching for my not-present duel disk.

"You can duel, I assume?" he asked. I nodded slowly, and he walked back over to the bench he had been sitting at. He pulled a bag out from underneath and withdrew two duel disks from it, as well as a black deck holder. Then he headed over to one of the duel fields that had been outlined on the asphalt, and I followed him. He handed one of the duel disks to me before taking his place on the other side.

I slipped my deck into place and put the three Synchros I had into the extra deck slot. I was mildly surprised when Zylar pulled the deck out of the black holder and placed it in his duel disk instead of using the deck he had been looking at earlier.

"We'll be playing from four thousand rather than eight thousand. Ready?" he asked. I smirked.

"Duel!" we chorused.

"Ladies first," he stated. I rolled my eyes and drew a card. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but my deck is a rather haphazard fairy-based one. Of course, when you're living on the streets, 'haphazard' is expected.

"I'll set a monster in defense mode and place a facedown," I said. "Not much else I can do for my first turn." Zylar nodded and drew a card.

"Alright then… Now, to figure out what kind of deck you use. I'll start by summoning Dark Blade in attack position. Now go, destroy that face-down monster!" he decided. I smirked.

"My monster's not going anywhere! It's Consecrated Light," I told him. He scowled, obviously not pleased at this turn of events. I thought I heard him muttering about light-based decks, and I guessed that he used a dark-attribute deck. "Thanks to Consecrated Light's ability, it can't be destroyed in battle by a dark monster, and I don't take any battle damage from battles against dark monsters. And, now that it's face-up, you can't declare an attack with Dark Blade," I added. Zylar rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I know. I hate that card," he informed me. I held back a giggle. He sighed. "Your turn then."

I raised an eyebrow. No spells or traps? I shrugged it off as a bad draw and drew my own new card. "I think I'll start this turn by activating the Jar of Greed I laid last turn," I said. I added another card to my hand. "Next, I'll summon Whirlwind Prodigy to the field in attack position. And with a face-down, I'll end my turn."

Zylar's eyes narrowed, probably trying to figure out what kind of a deck I used. Sure, Consecrated Light was a light-attribute monster, but Whirlwind Prodigy was a wind-attribute. I guessed that his first assumptions about my deck had been wrong. "Alright then, it's my draw," he said. "I'll set a monster face-down and end my turn."

I watched as the face-down hologram appeared on the field, wondering what he was playing at… or if my Consecrated Light just disadvantaged him that badly. I sighed.

"Mm-kay… My draw," I stated, drawing another card. I smiled at the card in my hand. "I'll set a card face-down on the field, and then I'll summon my Element Dragon," I declared. I smiled as the red and green dragon appeared on my field. It was one of the oddballs in my deck that one of my previous guardians, a young woman named Kairi, had given to me. "Next, I'll activate the spell card Reload."

I smiled at the two cards I had drawn. Like Element Dragon, they were both from Kairi. I looked out at my field. "Element Dragon, attack his face-down monster," I ordered. The dragon roared and took to the sky, then breathed fire at the hologram. It flipped face-up to reveal Archfiend Interceptor, and I sighed as my life points took a tiny hit. "Okay, your turn," I conceded. Zylar smiled.

"Then I'll draw," he said. He looked at the card and grinned. "Well then, let's see how you handle this, shall we? I summon Flare Resonator in attack position!" I sighed. Flare Resonator was a tuner. If he had a Synchro monster that was a level 7 and a non-dark attribute, my Consecrated Light was done for and his dark-attributes would be on me in a second, unless I got lucky and drew the other one that was sitting in my deck somewhere.

"Since Flare Resonator is a tuner, I'll have him tune with my Dark Blade," Zylar said, confirming my fears. Flare Resonator turned into three green rings, while Dark Blade became four white stars. "Unleash the fires of the galaxy! Synchro summon, Nova Priestess (2000/2300)!"

I watched as a dark-skinned woman wearing a long but slightly revealing red dress appeared. She held a staff in one hand, a sword in the other. Her white hair flew around her face wildly.

"When Nova Priestess is summoned, she inflicts us with damage equal to the number of cards we have on our fields times one hundred," Zylar informed me. I flinched slightly as the holographic flames surrounded me, eating away at 500 of my life points. Zylar got hit with two hundred. "Now, Nova Priestess will attack your Consecrated Light!"

I smirked. "Not right away she won't! I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!" I yelled. Zylar sighed. "Do I have to explain this one to you?" I asked him. He shook his head as I raised my hand. I only had the two cards, so his choice would be fairly easy.

"The card on the left is a… monster," he guessed. I scowled.

"Lucky guess," I grumbled. The Nova Priestess attacked Consecrated Light, destroying it. And then the fires came flying at me. My life point counter dropped by 2000, and I sighed. "My turn for a guess. Your priestess has a piercing ability," I grumbled. Zylar smiled and nodded.

"Indeed. And now that my battle phase is over, I'll activate Heavy Storm. That Ordeal of a Traveler could have been quite a pain," he said. "Your turn now."

I rolled my eyes and drew. "I'll place this card face-down, and then I'll summon Lyna the Light Charmer. That'll do for my turn," I said simply. Zylar seemed confused.

"Why would you summon that monster in attack position when it has less attack than defense? Unless that trap card…" he muttered. He nodded to himself. "Alright then, it's my draw. I'll set a face-down, and then I sacrifice Nova Priestess and Archfiend Interceptor in order to summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness," he said. "And when Nova Priestess leaves the field, she inflicts damage equal to the number of cards on our fields times two hundred, except that the damage is switched. Since I have two cards on my field, you only take four hundred damage. I, on the other hand…" he trailed off.

I smiled as I watched his life point counter drop to 2800. "I'll end my turn with that," he finished.

I sighed and drew my card silently. Then a plan started formulating in my head. I looked out over the field, then made up my mind. "I activate the Dian Keto the Cure Master I placed on the field earlier to save it from my Reload," I informed him. My life points increased to 2400. "I think I'll end my turn with that, though," I added. I was already praying that I could get one of the three cards in my deck that I could use for this. His Gorz had 2800 attack points. I also hoped that he would not summon another monster.

"In that case," he started, drawing his card. "I'll place two cards face-down… Now, Gorz, attack that Lyna the Light Charmer," he ordered. I activated my face-down trap.

"Negate attack… well, negates your attack," I informed him. He sighed, obviously relieved that it hadn't been something like Radiant Mirror Force. Then he nodded.

"Alright. I end my turn," he stated. I took a deep breath and sent one last prayer to my deck for one of the three cards that could possibly help win me the duel.

"Then it's my turn. I draw!" I cried, pulling a card off the top of my deck. The green background of a spell card greeted me as I added it to my hand. "I switch all of my monsters to defense position," I started. "Then, I'll active my Big Bang Shot and equip it to your Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (3200 ATK)."

Zylar tilted his head to the side. "Oh really… Well then, I activate Dark Spell-Weaver. Now, if you activate a spell while there is another spell in your hand, you have to give me the spell in your hand. If you have more than one, you get to choose," he said. I took a deep breath and tossed United We Stand at him. I was actually glad that he had used that trap, because now he would likely use my United We Stand to… well, power up his Gorz. That was part of my plan.

"Now I'll activate De-Spell. Since Big Bang Shot is equipped to your monster, when it leaves the field, your monster is removed from play. So I'll be destroying my Big Bang Shot," I told him. This was plan B. I was hoping that one of the cards on his side of the field was a…

"I active Magic Jammer!" he said. I kept my expression neutral, but I was smiling inside. "Now I get to keep my powered-up Gorz. Thank you, Raven." I sighed and ended my turn. Everything was up to him now. I had set it all up for him. He had to knock it all down.

"I'll draw!" he cried.

"Go Zylar! Beat her, beat her!"

I turned around and chuckled. We'd been dueling long enough that a few of the kids had started arriving. At this point though, Zylar had very few chances of beating me. Especially if he fell for the trap I had laid.

Zylar was laughing too as he looked through his cards. "I think I'll activate the United We Stand spell that you so kindly allowed me to borrow," he said. Gorz's attack points rose to four thousand. The lowest defense I had on my field was twelve hundred. It would be just enough, so long as he attacked my Element Dragon. "I'm not quite finished yet. I activate my trap, Snake Fang, and use its effect to decrease your Lyna the Light Charmer's defense by five hundred."

I raised an eyebrow. Oh, so he was going for her instead. Okay, fine by me. The difference between attack and defense was now three thousand, which was two hundred life points he didn't have.

"Now, go, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness! Attack her Lyna the Light Charmer and finish this duel!" Zylar yelled. All of the kids started cheering, but I had a grin on my face. Too late to call it back now.

Gorz's strike hit Lyna and destroyed her, but the debris that ensued hit Zylar instead of me. As his life points dropped to zero, leaving him and the crowd around us stunned, I walked over and held out my hand.

"Good game."

* * *

**Kairi: Hehe... So, anyone catch what Raven was up to? Anyone at all? If not, I'm not sure I can call you guys true Yu-Gi-Oh fans...**

**Zylar: -sighs- Kairi...  
**

**Kairi: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Please, please, please review, especially if you want to see this story updated again! Because with as much stuff as I have on my plate, if it doesn't get any reviews, it won't get updated. Simple as that.  
**

**Zylar: And in the meantime, we'll just be headed back to wherever it is we came from.  
**

**Kairi: You will, I have to type. -poofs-  
**


	4. Chapter 4, Lesson

**Hope Flies – Chapter Four**

**Lesson**

You're confused. There's no other way to put it. Sure, she told you that she had him set up from the beginning, but… how could she have won?

Raven laughs at the look on your face, then looks up at the ceiling. It's getting dark in here, and her eyes seem to have started glowing again. "I'll explain in the morning," she tells you. Then she stands and climbs a tree nearby, and you realize that you've been here for hours now.

Raven jumps back out of the tree with three things in her hands. Two of them are sleeping bags, and after giving you one, she unrolls hers and slips into it. You move away from the tree to avoid the roots that are surely poking up through the ground and do the same.

"I'm hungry," you say as your stomach rumbles. Raven laughs as she rummages through the third bag. She holds up a three apples.

"Granny Smith, Gala, or Red Delicious?" she asks. You choose and she throws it to you before taking one of the other two. Then she hands you a very small loaf of bread that seems to have quite a bit of cheese on it, and you don't doubt that there's cheese inside too. It's probably meant to be used to make a sandwich of some sort. She pulls out one of her own and closes the bag, stuffing it into a hidden place under the tree she had climbed earlier.

"You'll continue in the morning, won't you?" you ask her, just to be sure. She smiles and nods, her short hair falling into her face and then settling back into place floating around her head.

You wake up in the morning refreshed, but Raven doesn't seem to be nearby. You're about to call for her when she walks through the trees and hands you a plate with eggs, bacon, and hash browns on it. She has a plate as well. Once the two of you are done eating, she points out a well-hidden cubicle and leaves to wash the dishes.

When she returns, you both settle into comfortable spots and she begins again.

* * *

"_Now, go, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness! Attack her Lyna the Light Charmer and finish this duel!" Zylar yelled. All of the kids started cheering, but I had a grin on my face. Too late to call it back now._

_Gorz's strike hit Lyna and destroyed her, but the debris that ensued hit Zylar instead of me. As his life points dropped to zero, leaving him and the crowd around us stunned, I walked over and held out my hand._

"_Good game."_

* * *

"Cheater!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to the children, walking over to one and kneeling so I was at their level. One of them, a girl in a pink dress who was probably in third grade, was glaring quite openly at me. "Zylar attacked you and you should have lost because your Big Bang Shot gave his Gorz a piercing ability!" she protested. I pulled the Big Bang Shot spell card off of my duel disk and handed it to her.

"Read the effect out loud, please. Loud enough so that everyone can hear, and slowly," I directed her. "And I'll show you all the neat little trap I set up before his Gorz the Emissary of Darkness attacked." The girl looked at me doubtfully, then glanced up at Zylar, probably wondering if she should do as I had told her to. I assumed that he gestured for her to do so, but I wouldn't be too surprised. He had looked pretty confused as well.

"'The equipped monster gains four hundred attack points. During battle between this card and a Defense Position monster whose defense is lower than the attack of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent'," the girl read, slowly and loudly as I had told her to. "'When this card is removed from the field, the equipped monster is removed from play'," she finished. I nodded.

A boy in the back raised his hand. "Miss, I still don't get it," he said. I chuckled.

"That's alright. I intend to expand on that anyway," I told him. I looked back down at the girl. "Now then, the second effect you read. Would you be so kind as to read it again for me?" I asked. She rolled her eyes, obviously exasperated.

"'During battle between this card and a Defense Position monster whose defense is lower than the attack of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent'," she repeated. I nodded.

"The card Big Bang Shot was equipped to was Gorz the Emissary of Darkness. Because United We Stand was also equipped, he had four thousand attack points. My Lyna the Light Charmer had only one thousand defense points because on Zylar's Snake Fang," I summarized the final battle. "That's three thousand points of damage."

"We know how to do math, lady," a rather obnoxious-sounding boy to the side said. "But that three thousand points of damage should have been dealt to you."

I smiled. "Should it?" I asked. "Big Bang Shot says 'inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent' and the battle damage was three thousand."

"Oh ho…" Zylar whistled from behind me. I grinned at him, knowing that he had figured out my trap. "Clever," he stated, the confusion melting away to amusement and respect. The kids, however, were still baffled.

"Miss…" the boy in the back started. I held up a hand and the entire crowd quieted.

"As I was saying earlier, the battle damage was three thousand… but Big Bang Shot was on my side of the field, therefore making Zylar the opponent… and the target of that three thousand points of damage," I finished. A few of the children still looked slightly lost, but after their friends explained it a few times, they were all looking around as if saying to each other 'oh… so you _can_ do that…'

"That's a neat trick, Miss!" the boy in the back yelled as one of his friends pulled him away. I laughed at their enthusiasm.

"Always read the fine print!" I yelled back. The other kids laughed and broke up, except for the girl who had read the card for me.

"Um… Raven, right?" she asked. I nodded, and she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry I accused you of cheating… I think I need to go re-think a few of my strategies," she said, handing me my Big Bang Shot back. "Thanks for explaining!" she called over her shoulder. I smiled.

"You seem to be pretty good with the children… not to mention the fact that you're a good duelist. You really had me fooled there. I thought your play was to get rid of my Gorz, not use it against me," Zylar said as I stood. I chuckled.

"I'm not that great with kids… I'm just used to having to use really simple terms to explain half of my wins. I think I've finished the majority of the duels I've won on my opponent's turn," I told him. He chuckled.

"Where did you learn that trick, anyway?" he wondered. I sighed.

"When I was eight, a teenager and her legally-emancipated older brother took me in. Kairi had an Element Magician out on the field equipped with Big Bang Shot, and a Consecrated Light in defense position. I managed to take control of the Element Magician and attacked the Consecrated Light, assuming that I would win because of Big Bang Shot's piercing ability," I told him. Zylar chuckled.

"In other words, you made the same mistake I did," he finished. I sighed. "Do you have any important plans today, oh legal drop-out?" he asked, obviously teasing me at the end. I removed my cards from his duel disk and handed it back to him, and he returned my United We Stand.

"Not really. Why?" I replied. He faked a grimace.

"I'm supposed to be teaching the fourth graders over at the middle school a few tricks. I stopped here because there was a bench and it's not that far away," he explained, grabbing his bag and putting the two duel disks inside. He stashed the black deck holder into the bag as well, and again, I had to wonder about the gray deck holder that contained the cards he had been examining earlier.

"Well, as I'm certain they haven't heard about my Big Bang Shot trap yet, I suppose I could explain that one again," I replied. He faked a hurt expression.

"You won't explain another trick?" he asked mockingly. I pretended to be thoughtful, then shook my head.

"Nah. I'd rather not show you my hand right away, after all," I told him.

He laughed, and I smiled as I realized that I had something to do today after all.

* * *

**Kairi: Short chapter, but eh... Please review...**


	5. Chapter 5, Special

**Hope Flies – Chapter Five**

**Special**

You sigh, and Twyla nods.

"Yes, a rather boring part of my story, I know. But don't worry, it gets much more interesting… and dangerous," she says. You look up at her again, wondering how much danger there could be in working with Zylar and some kids for a day. Twyla sighs and looks up at the ceiling, almost nostalgically.

"Is something wrong?" you ask. She just chuckles and shakes her head.

"No. I was just remembering. This next part of my story is… well… a special part," she tells you. Then she begins again.

* * *

Zylar didn't press me about my past or anything while we were at the school. The kids kept begging to duel him, so I got to see more of his deck. I leaned back against the bleachers as the last kid got pushed into a corner. Zylar was using a dark attribute-based deck. I hadn't figured out what it was centered around. I had managed to beat him, probably more because he was having a bad draw than anything, but none of these kids was lasting more than ten turns, which was about how long our duel had been.

I saw a few kids trying to use some of the tricks Zylar and I had taught them, one of them managing to pull off my Big Bang Shot trick with another, very similar card. Finally, as the school bell rang to release the kids from the school, Zylar came back over to me and smiled tiredly.

"Never thought I'd be quite that tired after talking to kids, but…" he started. I laughed and handed him his duel disk back. A few of them had asked to duel me, so Zylar had let me borrow it for the day. He slipped it back into the bag, along with his and the black deck holder, and my curiosity finally got the better of me.

"Why do you have two decks?" I asked. He looked up at me, confused for a moment before a serious look crossed his countenance. He sighed and we left the school.

"One of them is the dark deck I usually use, as I'm sure you've already figured out," he started. "The other… is a deck that my father gave me. It's… special. The cards… the main cards… have special… ah, powers, so to speak. It can't be handled by the average person," he explained. I could tell that it was difficult for him. We were headed to the baseball fields. I had told him about my current living conditions a while earlier.

"May I see them?" I asked. He frowned.

"I'm not sure that would be wise… My father gave them to me believing that I might be able to control them with my… gifts… but, I can't," he said slowly. When he said 'gifts', though, I had a feeling that I knew what he was talking about. We were at the baseball fields now, because he had hesitated so much in speaking, and I knew that no one would be in the immediate area. I pulled the Fairy's Gift that I almost always had on hand out and focused on it. The slightest blue glow appeared around the card before the monster itself appeared in front of us.

"'Gifts', huh?" I asked. Zylar looked at the monster in the slightest shock, then looked back at me, realizing that I had summoned it without a duel disk.

He looked between me and the Fairy's Gift for a few moments before setting his bag on the ground and pulling the two deck holders out. He handed the silvery-gray one to me, and I took that as permission to examine the deck. Before I opened the deck holder, though, I held it in one hand with the other resting on top and closed my eyes to listen.

I could hear Fairy's Gift talking quietly to Zylar, explaining what I was doing when he asked. I could hear the running water nearby, and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. And I could also hear the whispering spirits of the deck I held in my hands.

"_Who is it?"_

"_They feel… different…"_

"_Someone go look."_

"_But what if…"_

"_Yes! Go look!"_

"_But…"_

"_Any volunteers?"_

"_What if they're bad?"_

"_Go find out!"_

I chuckled listening to them. There were six distinct voices that I could make out, the rest of the whispers were too quiet. I opened my eyes and let the power that was flowing through Fairy's Gift flow lightly through the deck. If they wanted to meet me, they would latch onto it quickly.

Three of the monsters took the invitation. One was a fairy, like the purple and green one flying around near Zylar, except that she was silver and blue instead, who stared at me in shock. Another was a tiger with blue flames that wrapped around its tail, paws, and neck. The third was a girl who appeared to be a few years younger than me. The angel wings on her back were reddish-gray in color, while her hair and outfit were pink. Her crimson eyes watched me carefully.

"Hiya," I said, breaking the silence. I heard Zylar chuckle, and Fairy's Gift laughed too. The pink girl looked slightly confused before she smiled and giggled as well.

"Hiya," she echoed. "Who are you?" she wondered. I smiled.

"Raven. You three?" I replied. The girl grinned.

"Rose!"

The tiger sighed. _"Her full name is Twilight Valkyrie – Rose,"_ he said. Because he wasn't a humanoid, he spoke using telepathy rather than speech. _"And I am Blue-Flame Majestiger."_

I looked over at the fairy. _"Valkyrie's Sprite,"_ she said simply. Rose sighed.

"Oh, at least try to be friendly, won't you?" she mumbled. The fairy disappeared with a slight blue flash, signifying that she had returned to the deck. I chuckled.

"She seems fun," I joked. Rose shrugged. A moment later, three more cards latched onto the power flowing through the deck, and three girls similar to Twilight Valkyrie – Rose joined us. One was very much yellow, while the other two were green and black respectively.

Blue-Flame Majestiger disappeared, and so did Fairy's Gift, while Zylar walked over. "Topaz, Jade, and Onyx," the black-haired teen said simply. I was starting to notice a pattern, and I nodded.

"Hello," I greeted them. Topaz smiled.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you," she stated. Onyx didn't seem to agree, but… Onyx looked like she was generally in a bad mood. Jade, on the other hand, pushed her glasses up on her nose slightly before looking between me and Zylar.

"Hey… Any chance we could talk you into dueling each other?" she asked. Topaz looked over at her in mild confusion before smiling, while Zylar looked between them and me in worry.

"I'm not sure…" he said. Onyx gave him a look.

"If she can't handle us, I doubt anyone will ever be able to," she stated, her voice a few tones lower than I had first expected it to be. Zylar sighed and pulled out his duel disk, then the second one, only for me to hold up my hand.

"Hang on, my duel disk is in my tent. It's not far, and there's a nice clearing nearby, so we might as well duel there," I told him. He smiled as the Twilight Valkyries disappeared one by one, while I started actually looking through the deck. A few of the cards, and especially one of the Synchros that went with the deck, raised my eyebrow, but as we arrived at my campsite, I decided to brush it off.

I slipped into my tent only long enough to grab my duel disk.

It was a standard duel disk, but I had gotten my hands on some paint a couple years ago and had painted it to be black, with silver and navy blue streaks, as if I were attempting tiger print. It had been fun at the time, and it looked nice, but the paint had been flecking off steadily since then, and the dull white was mostly showing now.

"Jeez, something could use a new coat of paint," Zylar commented upon catching sight of the duel disk. I chuckled and slipped the deck he had given me into the slot, watching as it was shuffled quickly.

"It might need a new paint job, but she works, and that's what matters," I told him. "So, full 8000 life points this time?" He smiled and nodded, his crimson eyes lighting up as his own duel disk started up.

"Duel!" we chorused. Zylar waved his hand, indicating that I should go first again, and I sighed.

"You keep that up, I'll smack you upside the head," I warned him, drawing my first five, plus another. He just laughed as I looked over my cards. "Well, in that case, I'll just discard the Valkyrie's Sprite in my hand to the graveyard so I can summon Twilight Phoenix (Lvl.5, 2400/600) without needing a tribute!" I decided. A quick glance over my cards, and I had decided on a second course of action. "I'll lay three face-downs and end my turn."

Zylar nodded, drawing his card silently and looking over his hand. "I think I'll start this turn by activating the spell card Odd Magnet," he said. "Now, for every monster I discard from my hand, I can choose two monsters from my deck to replace them, so long as they're the same attribute."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure that with your dark deck that won't be a problem," I muttered. Zylar laughed as he slipped two cards into his graveyard, pulling two out of his deck and adding them to his hand.

"Next I'll place a monster face-down in defense mode, and then I'll throw down a couple face-downs. Your turn, Raven," he said. I just smirked, drawing my next card.

"Well then, I'll just summon Fledgling Valkyrie (Lvl.3, 1000/200). And, thanks to her effect, I can attack your life points directly," I replied. Zylar's life points dropped by one thousand. "Next I'll have Twilight Phoenix attack your face-down monster," I added.

The card flipped upright to reveal Big Eye, and I sighed as it was sent to the graveyard. Zylar pulled the top five cards off of his deck, rearranged them after a moment of consideration, and slipped them back onto the deck. Zylar looked at me expectantly, and I shook my head. "You turn," I prompted.

He smirked, drawing his card quietly. "I think that'll do this turn," he decided. I frowned. His field was empty of monsters, and he only had two traps down, neither of which he had used last turn. What was he up to…?

I drew and looked at the card. With a small smile, I looked up at Zylar. "I'll summon Twilight Valkyrie – Amethyst (Lvl.4, 1500/1000) to the field. And, thanks to her ability, I can add any other Twilight Valkyrie to my hand," I said, pulling Twilight Valkyrie – Jade out of my deck. I couldn't summon it this turn, but it would probably help next turn.

"And let me guess, you're going to let all three of them rain havoc on my life points," Zylar commented. I laughed.

"Pretty much," I agreed as Twilight Phoenix, Fledgling Valkyrie, and Twilight Valkyrie – Amethyst attacked him, leaving him with only 1100 life points left. "Your turn," I told him. Zylar just nodded, absentmindedly looking over his cards as he drew another, as if he didn't really care anymore.

"I'll just throw a facedown," he said. I was cautious as I drew another card, Twilight Valkyrie – Ruby.

I frowned as I looked over my cards, and decided to go on ahead and attack him. "Alright then. Twilight Valkyrie – Amethyst, attack his life points directly!" I ordered. Zylar smirked, and the trap he had laid only moments ago sprung up.

"I activate Negative Abyss!" he declared. "And thanks to its ability, every monster on your field is destroyed, and for each one destroyed that's a light attribute, I can add a dark attribute monster from my deck to my hand."

I scowled. Of course, both Twilight Phoenix and Fledgling Valkyrie were light attributes. "Oh well. At least Twilight Phoenix will be back during your next Standby Phase," I grumbled. Then I saw Zylar's smirk, and watched as my life points dropped from 8000 to 0. "What the…?"

And as Zylar held up the five pieces of Exodia, I sighed.

* * *

**Kairi: So... This chapter was stubborn. I got about halfway through it and got stuck until quite recently. Anyway, enough of my ranting, since I'm sure I did that enough on my V2 fans.**

**Review Please?**


	6. Chapter 6, Offer

**Hope Flies – Chapter Six**

**Offer**

Twyla smiles at the memory of loosing to Zylar, or perhaps it's the fact that it was the first duel where she used the Twilight Valkyrie deck. You can almost tell already that somehow, she'll end up using it again, more than once.

"I hadn't expected him to have the pieces of Exodia, but his deck finally made sense. Sure, it worked well simply as a dark attribute deck, but Exodia filled in the 'why'. Why choose dark attributes?" she rambles. It's something you notice her doing on occasion, but she'll usually catch herself before she gets very far.

The dark-haired woman looks around her sanctuary, a peaceful look on her face as she stands and walks around a bit. "Come on, I want to show you something," she prompts. You stand and follow her, and before long, you spot a small tent lodged between two trees. A small stream of sorts runs nearby, and Twyla smiles.

"This is home," she states. "This has always been home."

You realize then that the tent is the same one she used as a house as a teen. She slips inside, beckoning for you to follow her. It's cozy inside, and there are pillows and cushions scattered about. She lays down on her stomach over a few, and you sit slowly onto one.

"That duel… that duel started something amazing… and scary," she says quietly. You almost don't hear it. Then Twyla looks up at you and smiles again.

* * *

"Well, I guess you didn't win the American championship title for nothing," I conceded. Zylar laughed, putting his deck away as I did the same. I slipped the Twilight Valkyrie deck into the silver-gray deck holder and held it out for him to take, but he shook his hands in front of him.

"Oh no. I won't take that. Not from you, at least," he said. He then looked at me with a smile still on his face. "Hang on a sec while I call my dad, won't you?" he asked. I shrugged and headed into my tent, pulling my duel disk off as I did so. I could hear Zylar outside, on the phone, so with nothing else to do, I sat there quietly and listened.

"Hey dad… No, I haven't, but I… That's what I… Dad… Will you just listen?" I heard him grumbling. He was quiet for a moment. "But dad, I found someone who can!" he half-yelled.

Everything was quiet for a few moments again. Then Zylar sighed. "Ah, well… She's kinda…" he trailed off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No, dad! She's an orphan!" he blurted quickly. I resisted the urge to laugh, half-wondering what kind of a conclusion Zylar's father had jumped to.

"Well, yeah… and…" he trailed off, sighing again. "She's kinda been homeless for… well, whenever the last people to take her in left." It was quiet for a moment. "No, she's not a bad duelist… She actually beat me with her own deck when we dueled the first time. I mean, I didn't have the Exodia cards in my deck, you know I don't like using them for trivial duels, but I would have sworn I had her and she used a tricky effect on one of her cards to turn it around and completely kill me."

I sighed and looked around the inside of my patchwork tent. Heh. Patchwork tent, patchwork deck… It's amazing how much I've had to pull together through my life.

"Wait, really?" Zylar asked. I could hear the surprise in his voice, and I could almost see the grin on his face. "Dad, that's…!" He started laughing happily. "Dad… thanks… Yeah… Yeah, I'm heading back tomorrow morning… Uh-huh… Of course… Okay… But, what about the tournament?... Right… I'll talk to her about it… If she agrees, we'll see you there."

I raised an eyebrow. We? What 'we'? And what am I agreeing to?

Zylar poked his head into the tent, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Raven? How do you feel about adoption and tournaments?" he asked.

I almost missed the word 'tournaments' after my mind caught on 'adoption'.

I figure I did a pretty good job of emulating a fish for a moment after that.

Zylar's grin faded as I sat there, trying to reboot my brain. "Adoption?" I whispered. He came over and sat next to me with a nod. I floundered around in my mind a bit more. "Why?" I finally asked. Zylar smiled again.

"You beat me the first time we dueled, and you came close this time. You can control and use the Twilight Valkyries' powers. And… be honest… do you really want to live in a tent for the rest of your life?" he said. I sighed and smiled.

"That still doesn't…" I trailed off. Zylar laughed.

"My dad always wanted a daughter, but after I was born, my mom was told that if she tried to have any more kids, she'd probably die, and take the child with her. Now you come along, and I'm already taken with you, in a brotherly manner, mind you. You're as good a duelist as I am. _And_ you can do the one thing that dad wanted me to do that I can't," he told me. I looked down at the silver-gray deck holder in my hands.

"The Twilight Valkyries," I muttered. Zylar nodded.

"If you don't want to, I'll understand. I don't know that my dad will, but that's beside the point," he said. I smiled.

"No, Zylar… it's…" I sighed, unable to finish. "It's just… I've been here all my life, ever since I was a baby. I've been on the street since I was four. The longest I've ever been in a home and had a family was… a little less than two years. That was with Kairi and Marik. But they couldn't take me with them when they left, or they would have," I told him. He put an arm around my shoulders.

"Well, we won't exactly be home for long. You've heard about the tournament in Chicago, I hope?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"CLOZA's going. They won't take me because I'm technically not a member," I grumbled, standing and walking out of the tent. Zylar's eyes clouded for a moment.

"CLOZA?" he asked. I sighed.

"Cooperative League of Organizations of the Zodiac, America," I recited. Zylar nodded.

"I know. My mom's a member of the California division. The Kentucky division's been after my ass since she moved out there," he told me. I shot a look over my shoulder.

"Mm, joy," I muttered sarcastically. "Except the Cat doesn't exist in the Zodiac."

Zylar crossed his arms. "Well, that'll probably be another bonus then," he said. And I had to agree.

"So, you're offering to take me to Chicago for the tournament?" I asked. Zylar nodded.

"Yup. Dad said he's gonna meet us there so you can sign the adoption papers, agreeing that you're joining our family. Although pretty much the only one of us you'll be seeing on a regular basis is me, because dad spends most of the year in New York and mom lives in California," he replied. I smiled, letting my mind run over it all.

A home. A family. A brother I could duel, who would challenge me to do my best. A proper deck. A chance at a tournament title. Where was the downside?

I sighed as that last one hit me.

Dylan.

I was his oh-so-precious Cat. I'd tried to leave CLOZA once before, only to be cornered by him as I packed up my tent one morning. I'd been planning on just leaving town altogether, but then he'd shown up.

"_I could always call the authorities in Springfield. I'm sure they'd be interested in a juvenile thief that's been living on the streets since birth," he threatened. I shot a look over my shoulder._

"_You wouldn't," I muttered. He smirked._

"_Wouldn't I?"_

What if he came after me?

I glanced over my shoulder at Zylar. He was sitting on a fallen tree that spanned the creek, and I smiled. I could do more than just receive a new life. I could completely _start_ a new one.

I walked along the bank of the creek until I was standing next to the fallen tree. "Any chance we could change my name in the process?" I asked, leaning against an oak. Zylar looked over his shoulder, expression confused at first, before he let a knowing smile slip onto his face.

"I don't think that will be any problem," he told me. Then he came back over to where I was. "So, you know the hotel on the square? I'm staying there tonight and then leaving in the morning," he added. I smiled.

"I'll see you there in the morning then. I've got someone I want to check in on, if he hasn't left already, and then I'm going to spend one more night on the ground," I told him. Zylar chuckled.

"Alright, I won't argue. See you in the morning, Raven. Or, wait… What are you going to change your name to?" he asked. I crossed my arms, thinking.

An idea came to mind and I smiled. "Twyla," I said simply.

"Twyla," Zylar echoed. Then he smiled. "Twilight… Fitting…" he muttered to himself. Then he looked up at me again. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow… Twyla."

He walked away, and I smiled to myself before turning to watch the running water. I couldn't help it, because everything was falling into place. Zylar hadn't been in town long enough for Dylan to mark him out as a threat, he couldn't have been. And as for me… Well, everyone was leaving soon, and I was supposed to be staying here for the next two weeks. So, who would notice?

By the time they realized I was gone, Raven would be dead.

Or at least, well-hidden.

I wandered through the trees for a while before I headed out, going through the tunnel that was meant to move water from the pond to the creek. Except, the water levels on both sides were low, so there was no water in the tunnel. Rather than climbing up the hill and going over the tracks, like Zylar had done, I was going under them. I was still wandering through the trees on the other side of the tracks when I heard Kyle calling my name.

"Raven! Raven! Where are you?"

I smiled and headed up to the path through the weeds. There were three paths out of this part, but since one went in the wrong direction entirely and I didn't feel like fighting with jumping the creek (even if it was lower than usual), the path through the woods was my best choice.

"Raven!"

I leaned against a tree that stood on the hill over the pond. "Behind you, Blondie," I called. Kyle turned and grinned, running back up the hill to join me.

"Hey, Raven! Any chance I could talk you into a duel before we go? We're leaving in the morning and… Oh shoot! I forgot my duel disk!" he said. I laughed.

"I left my stuff back in my tent anyways, and besides, I think I've dueled enough for one day," I told him. Kyle almost visibly deflated. I sighed. "Although… I'll make you a deal. The next time I see you, we'll duel, okay?" I offered. He smiled.

"Alright. I was hoping we could duel now so that… you know. But I guess it's fine. We'll only be a week or so… I hope…" he said. I hung an arm over his shoulders, half-dragging him along as we started to walk around the baseball fields.

"Well, whatever. But the tournament doesn't even start until Monday, right? It's only Thursday," I replied. Kyle sighed.

"Honestly, I highly doubt we'll be there for more than a few days, because… well… They're not the greatest duelists," he muttered. I nodded.

"No, but they were the best choices," I told him. Then I smiled. "Anyway, shouldn't you be getting home?"

Kyle sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Just… take care while we're in Chicago, alright?" he said. I nodded and watched as he smiled and took off running. I didn't bother walking any further, instead turning around. Kyle was my best friend, of course I wanted to see him at least one more time before my new life started.

I smiled as the pond came into view again.

* * *

**Kairi: So, be kind to my bunnies and review, if you would please.**


	7. Chapter 7, A New Life

**Kairi: So, brought to you from my phone, since my laptop is stupid... (So glad I had a bunch of chapters in Doc Manager already) ...Anyway, welcome back to whoever's still out there lurking around... ;D Enjoy Chapter Seven, and consider leaving a review, if you feel like it!**

* * *

**Hope Flies – Chapter Seven**

**New Life**

"When I showed up at the hotel the next morning, Zylar was waiting for me. We got on his duel runner and headed out to the truck stop a few miles east of town, then jumped into his trailer and headed southeast, for his ranch in Kentucky," she summarized.

You watch Twyla's expression as she tells her story. The situation with her name is starting to make a bit of sense now, but you still haven't figured out why she's telling you all this.

She looks over at you and smiles. "You're still wondering why you're here, aren't you?" she asks. You give in and nod, while she just chuckles. "It'll be a while yet. I suppose you could call everything you've heard so far Part One. Yes, Part One… the Beginning. That sounds about right," she rambles for a moment.

You frown. "If Part One is the Beginning, then what's Part Two?" you wonder aloud. Twyla smiles.

"A Different World," she replies. Then she looks over at you. "Do you duel?" she asks. You shrug, and she chuckles, sitting up and grabbing a deck holder from under a pillow. You note absent-mindedly that it's a dark blue. "Come on, let's duel while I tell you this next part."

* * *

I gasped. The house itself was huge, and the farm… Zylar laughed at the look on my face.

"Come on. Let's find you a room and get you… well, partially settled in. We'll have to leave tomorrow for Chicago if we want to make it in time for the tournament, but for now, we've got a little time to relax," he said. I just smiled.

Once I figured out how to get to the bathroom and the front door from my new room (which I felt was way too large), I sat down on the floor and pulled my bag over. Inside were only a few things.

My tent, folded down and taking only half of the space in the backpack (which should say something). Both deck holders, the silver-gray of the Twilight Valkyries and my dark gray one that held my fairy deck. My duel disk, in desperate need of a new paint job.

Oh, and a jacket. That was it. Everything else was on my body.

"Hey, I called one of the neighbors. His daughters are coming over to take you shopping for some clothes," Zylar said, poking his head into the room. I smiled.

"Thanks," I said. I held up my sad little duel disk. "And I think I'm going to find some paint somewhere," I added. Zylar made a face, and I just laughed.

"Um… Try to stay out of trouble. I've got to go check on the horses, make sure the handlers didn't slack off while I was gone," he said. I shrugged, looking through the Twilight Valkyrie deck and pulling the odd card out of my fairy deck to throw into it. Zylar just smiled and walked away.

Once I was done, I slipped the fairy deck back into the dark gray deck holder, while the Twilight Valkyrie deck was put in its silvery one.

I stood and decided to wander around. I knew where the bathroom was, and my room, and the front door, but I wanted to be able to walk around as if I actually knew the place.

I ended up wandering down into the basement, but before I could flip the light switch on, I heard the doorbell go off. I slipped the location of the door to the basement into the back of my brain as I ran upstairs again to get the door.

When it opened, I was greeted by a soft face framed in curly silver hair that seemed to turn lavender wherever the sun hit it. Behind her, I could see a black car with another silver-haired girl in the driver's seat.

"You must be Twyla," the girl in front of my said. I looked down at her sky blue eyes and smiled.

"I am," I replied. She grinned.

"I'm Amai. Come on. My sister's waiting for us," she told me. "Oh, wait a sec. Where's Zylar?" she asked. I looked around.

"He said he was going to go take care of the horses," I said. Amai rolled her eyes and ran off.

"Go ahead and get in the back seat. I'll be back in a minute!" she called over her shoulder. I walked over to the car a bit awkwardly and opened the back door on my side. I raised an eyebrow at the music the girl in the driver's seat had playing as I got in quietly.

"You got a problem with Celtic Woman?" the girl asked. I shook my head.

"Not at all, I actually like them. I just don't know a lot of other people who do," I told her. She smiled and brushed her straight hair out of her face.

"That makes two of us. Amai loves singing along, by the way, so…" she said. I giggled, actually giggled for once.

"That's fine. I'll do it on occasion too," I told her. She grinned and held a hand out behind her.

"Name's Nigai. Ni, for short, since a lot of people get my name and Amai's mixed up," she said. I shook her hand.

"Twyla, but I think you already knew that," I replied. Just then, Amai came running around and opened the door on the other side, hopping into the back seat happily.

"'Kay! We're all good!" she said cheerfully. Nigai gave her a look in the mirror.

"Not until you've got that seatbelt on," she grumbled. I put mine on quickly, and Amai sighed before doing the same.

"There, happy now?" the younger girl said. I couldn't help but laugh, while Nigai smiled and drove off back to the main road and into town.

I'd only known these two for a few minutes, but already, they reminded me of a couple of friends I'd had as a child.

When we got back hours later, as the sun started to sink in the sky, and I'll admit it, I was exhausted. I'd gotten a haircut in there somewhere, as well as become best friends with the sisters. Amai and Nigai were total opposites, but they got along great (except where food was concerned, as Nigai liked meat and Amai was a vegetarian), and I fit in somewhere in the middle.

The sisters helped me sort my stuff out from theirs, and once again, I had to wonder at how the trunk of the car had actually managed to fit all of it. We happily carried the bags up to my room, and I thanked them before they left. I then started sorting out everything, putting the paint we'd gotten off to one side with my duel disk. I started putting clothes into the closet, shoes in there on the floor, lined up neatly for now. I doubted they'd stay that way for long.

Once my bags were empty, I headed back down toward the basement. The sun was just above the horizon when I went down the stairs, and I hadn't seen Zylar all afternoon.

I finally flipped the light switch on and smiled at what I saw. It was nice and cool down here, and I grabbed a bottle off the shelf and headed back upstairs.

I had just gotten the stubborn bottle open when Zylar walked in and crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway.

"You know… We _are_ underage," he said as I poured myself a glass of wine. I turned and grinned, pulling another glass down and filling it for him.

"I'm drinking responsibly," I argued, handing it to him. "Besides, sparkling grape juice just doesn't quite cover it when you're celebrating," I added teasingly. Zylar took the wine glass and swirled it around a bit.

Then he sighed, a smile on his face. "Well, my dear… You are most definitely a Hunt," he said, chuckling as he finished. I raised my glass.

"A toast, then. To my new family," I said. Zylar tapped his glass with mine.

"To my new little sister," he replied.

And as we both raised our glasses to our lips, I had a feeling that I wasn't the only underage drinker in my new family.

The next morning was… chaotic. Zylar and I had wiped out the bottle of wine, meaning I had a bit of a hangover (I'm telling you, I have horrible alcohol tolerance, don't ask me why I keep drinking), and Zylar was hooking up the spare trailer he kept for when his normal one was in need of work to the second truck for me. He'd had people working on it most of the night, making sure it was in good shape.

Sure, the colors were the blacks, reds, and golds that Zylar preferred, but it was comfortable. Before I could get in though, he handed me a phone.

"Wanted to keep you in touch," he said before walking over to his trailer. I smiled and stepped up into… well, mine I guess…

We had only been on the road for about an hour when I got a call. I checked the caller ID and smiled. Zylar had programmed five numbers in already. His, his parents' numbers, as well as Nigai's and Amai's.

It was Amai calling, so I picked the phone up and hit the green button, putting the phone to my ear.

"Hey Twyla!" her chipper voice rang in my ear. I smiled

"Hi…" I slurred.

"Huh? You okay?" she asked. I chuckled.

"I'm a little tired," I told her, rolling over onto my belly. "And maybe a bit bored."

Amai laughed. "Well, I was gonna tell you yesterday, but I forgot. My little brother's gonna be at the tournament. See if you can find him, 'kay?" she said. I smiled.

"What color does his hair light up?" I asked, remembering that hers looked lavender in sunlight and Nigai's was light green.

"Red," was her response. "And his name's Arashi," she added. I smiled.

"Okay," I replied. "But until we get up there… what are you doing?" I asked. She giggled.

"Oh, nothing. Just watching the Fortune Cup from a few years ago. I've got it recorded… Hey, I can probably send it to the T.V. in your trailer if you wanna watch it with me," she said. I looked over at the flat-screen and flinched.

"You're gonna have to talk me through it, Amai," I told her. She must have been grinning as she told me how to turn the T.V. on and receive the recordings she was sending me.

Finally, I was sprawled out on the bed, watching the introductions to the Fortune Cup. Amai was happy enough to start hers over so we could sit there and talk about the same duels while they were happening on the T.V.

Amai, it seemed, was completely enamored with a hulking man with dark skin and darker hair. Greiger, I think his name was? At any rate, I couldn't care less. No one really caught my eye in that way…

Well, this one kid did, so to speak. Except, he reminded me of someone I hadn't seen since I was a kid. I sat there wondering if maybe Koran hadn't just been an illusion. Except, the guy's name was Yusei Fudo.

I sighed.

"Something wrong?" Amai asked for what had to be the umpteenth time. I chuckled.

"No, just caught up in a memory," I told her. She giggled as we talked about the boy that was pretending to be his twin sister as he dueled Greiger. She was doing more daydreaming than thinking though, I think.

And I couldn't help but smile, wondering if this was what normal teenage girls did. Either way, I had decided that I liked it.


	8. Chapter 8, Preparations

**Kairi: So, my laptop was being stupid. Oh well. Here's Chapter 8, I'll give you Chapter 9 on Tuesday, since that's when it's due. Oh, and there's some language in this one. Please read and review. (I don't own anything familiar.)**

* * *

**Hope Flies – Chapter Eight**

**Preparations**

You roll your eyes. Not only has Twyla just beaten you in your duel, but she's also laughing about her memories of Amai.

"Well, I suppose things were probably different for most people, and it was certainly a big change for me, but I loved it. Seriously," she says. She's just messing around with her deck for now.

"So, what is your kind of guy?" you ask, since apparently she hadn't really liked the men from the Fortune Cup. Twyla smiles.

"Kind. Rough around the edges. A bit of a joker, but the kind of guy I can depend on," she says, her smile disappearing. Apparently, she's thinking about someone in particular. "And to think, I left him like that…" she whispered. You pull your knee up to hug it and look at her almost expectantly.

"Where'd you meet him?" you ask. She smiles again.

"Oh, pretty quick here," she says before she starts laughing.

* * *

I grinned as I pulled the dark blue sleeveless top on. Black skinny jeans were tucked into black boots, while my hair, extremely short in back and past my shoulders in front, was tucked behind my ears, save for my bangs, which hung in my face no matter what I did.

Black fingerless gloves reaching almost to my shoulders and a black scarf finished off my outfit, but there was still one thing missing.

I slipped the Twilight Valkyrie deck into the silver deck holder on my belt next to the one containing my fairy deck, then picked up my duel disk. I'd gotten around to painting it on the way up to Chicago, and now I grinned as I looked it over.

In an attempt to keep Dylan and CLOZA off of my tail, I'd started with silver rather than black, then painted a camouflage pattern on it, rather than the tiger stripes I'd done before.

"Hey, Twyla? You ready?"

I laughed and opened the door of the trailer, hopping out happily. "Ready, Zylar," I told him. He laughed and put an arm around my shoulders, leading me toward the tournament dome. It was Sunday morning, and after two extremely fast-paced days, I was looking forward to slowing down just a little.

I bumped into her without even noticing her before. Hell, if I'd noticed her, I would have gone out of my way to avoid her.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, bitch!" Veronica hissed. I glared openly.

"Excuse me? I'm not the one in the middle of sidewalk," I shot back, back-talking her for the first time since I'd met her years ago. Zylar tightened his grip on my shoulders.

"Come on, Twyla. We don't need trouble with these big-city sluts," he said. Veronica sputtered incomprehensibly, and I resisted the urge to break out laughing then and there. Once I was sure we were out of hearing range and eyesight, I gave in and started laughing. Zylar watched me confusedly while I let my amusement get the better of me. "Are you okay?" he asked in wonderment. I just laughed.

"Veronica's the Snake," I managed to cough out. Zylar sighed and shook his head, half-pushing, half-pulling me along.

"No wonder you wanted to get away from them," he muttered, causing me to laugh even harder.

And then, being the klutz I am, I tripped.

"Whoa, watch it there!" a voice cried out amiably as someone caught me. I know it wasn't Zylar, he was behind me. I looked up, embarrassed, and was so glad to see that it wasn't Roark, as I had first suspected. No, this guy looked to be a few years older, and besides, his spiky hair was orange, not the short, soft brown that was how Roark wore his.

I blushed as I realized where my thoughts were going. I'd dated Roark for a few months once, and now I was comparing this guy to him… Ugh, head out of the clouds, Raven. Er, Twyla…

I'm screwed.

"Uh hey! Earth to Twyla!" Zylar said, waving a hand in front of my face. I blushed even harder.

"I… Ah… I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, sir," I said quietly. The ginger just laughed.

"Hey, that's alright. Your mind's obviously somewhere else," he said. I bit my lip and kept my eyes glued to the sidewalk. I could almost hear Fairy's Gift sighing at me.

"Still, I should have been paying a bit more attention," I replied. Zylar sighed.

"Ah well. Everyone's alive and with no big problems, so…" he prompted. I smiled and looked up, my mind back on why we were here.

"Right, we still have to finish getting me registered," I said. The man I'd bumped into smiled shyly.

"Ah… do you two mind if I tag along? Because my friend and I are participating, but he's wandered off somewhere and I've never been here before," he told us. I grinned.

"Sure thing. Oh, I'm Twyla, by the way. This is my brother, Zylar," I said, holding out a hand. He smiled and shook my hand.

"Crow Hogan," he introduced himself. Zylar laughed.

"Come on, registration's this way," he said, leading us through the crowd. We found a registration booth just in time for me to spot a couple people I didn't want to see and one I did… well, sort of.

"Oh come on, Mayne. I can take care of myself. Dylan, tell her," Kyle was whining. I couldn't help but smile as Mayne gave Dylan a look. He just rolled his eyes.

"Go have some fun, but stay out of the way and don't leave Duel Town," he told his little brother. Kyle grinned and took off running for the stadium, likely wanting to watch some of the practice matches.

"I was wondering where you'd got off to," an Australian-accented voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I recognized the owner the minute I saw him. After all, I'd been told by Amai that her sister liked to drool over him, and if I were into tall, sexy, and arrogant, I'd probably be doing the same. But, Jack Atlas just wasn't my type.

"Look who's talking. You're the one that said we were supposed to be going north and our destination was actually south of where we were," Crow grumbled. I raised an eyebrow. Wait, Jack Atlas was the friend of Crow's that wandered off?

Jack just scowled, then looked over at Zylar. "Long time no see, Hunt," he stated. Zylar nodded, a cool expression on his face.

"I take it you're participating in the tournament, then?" he asked. Jack nodded, and Zylar smirked. "I look forward to getting another chance to kick your ass."

Crow and I exchanged a look, something that caught Jack's attention. "And who's this, your girlfriend?" he asked. Zylar and I did a double-take that couldn't have been more perfect if we had rehearsed it.

"Hell no!" I cried while Zylar was still sputtering.

"She's my little sister," he managed to choke out.

Hearty laughter rang out behind us, and Zylar turned slightly and grinned. "Well, what did you expect, m'boy? We been keeping her out of the spotlight so long, you bring her out and what else are people supposed to think?" I looked over my shoulder to see a man with black hair and light brown eyes standing there, a smile on his face.

"Hey, dad," Zylar greeted him. His dad held his arms out, and I followed Zylar's lead embracing him. It was a strange feeling having a fatherly figure in my life all of a sudden, but I liked it. "Here, lemme get Twyla signed up real quick and we can go get something to eat, alright?" he prompted, sneakily slipping my name in so that his father would know what it was.

That was part of the trouble with this. Neither of Zylar's parents had known my name or what I looked like, so we were doing some pretty good acting.

True to his word though, Zylar got my registration in the tournament finished, and I was told to get a tournament bracket in an hour. Zylar, his dad, and I walked to a McDonald's around the corner. Crow waved as we walked off, and I smiled. He was pretty nice…

I groaned, and Zylar and his… well, I guess technically _our_ dad… gave me a look. "You okay there?" Zylar asked. I sighed.

"Just my hormones raging again," I muttered. His… Our dad laughed.

"Who, Atlas? You'd have to deal with his rivalry with your brother," he said. I shook my head violently.

"Oh, heck no," I growled. "Too much of an attention-seeker and way too arrogant…. and maybe just a bit _too_ attractive for my tastes…"

Zylar laughed. "That's nice," he joked. I shrugged. "So, Crow then?"

I'm sure my blush must have returned, because he started laughing again only a moment later. Our dad grinned as we walked into the McDonalds.

And then I had to resist the urge to sigh as I spotted Jessie and Zoë. Cheryl walked over to them and sat down, pulling a questionable-looking bottle out of her purse and placing it on the table between herself and her sister. I figured it was probably some kind of hard alcohol.

We ordered quickly and sat down, thankfully on the opposite side of the room from the trio of girls. Zylar's dad pulled out some paperwork and opened it to a page, then handed me a pen. I skimmed over the writing on the page before signing on the line he'd pointed at.

I had to sign two more lines before he smiled and took his pen back, just in time for our food to arrive. Zylar slipped a bottle onto the table, and I held back a grin until his dad shot a look toward me and he smirked.

I couldn't help but do the same, and the whiskey was passed around.

"Don't tell your mom, alright?" my new dad hinted. I grinned and took a big bite out of my cheeseburger. Nice to know I wouldn't have to worry about him at all.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Zylar and our dad managed to finish the bottle off before I could get intoxicated. Cursing my weakness to alcohol, I stood and headed out, my brother on my heels. Dad was heading back to New York that afternoon, so Zylar and I had the rest of the day to ourselves.

"Oh, hey you two," Crow commented.

I turned and smiled, then tripped again, this time falling into Zylar. He laughed.

"You're certainly klutzy today," he teased. I smacked him lightly while Crow laughed. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Eh, maybe it's just my overwhelming charm," the ginger joked.

"Pft, as if," Jack shot at him. Crow glared up at him, while I finally noticed the light gray of the ginger's eyes. A few shades lighter and a slight metallic gleam, and they'd be about the same color as mine…

Head out of the clouds, girly.

"Um, excuse me?"

I looked down at Kyle in mild surprise, managing to hide most of it. He looked a little uncomfortable.

"Um… You guys look like duelists, and I've been asking around for half an hour, but… Uh… Would one of you consider dueling me? I'm not really good in front of crowds, but… I want to get better, because I really want to participate in a tournament," he said. I smiled.

Jack, on the other hand, huffed. "Get lost, kid," he grumbled. I reached over and smacked him, and not lightly either. I put a hand on Kyle's back and led him back to the stadium, where a good number of practice duels were happening.

"Come on. Don't listen to that stuck-up," I told him. Crow started laughing, and I had a feeling that Zylar's eyes were on my back as Kyle and I practically ran to the stadium.

* * *

**Kairi: So, there we have it. Crow and Jack, and not nearly as 'oh, here you go' as they were in the first version. I very much prefer this. (And we also find the source of Zylar's drinking problems... Tsk, tsk. Bad parenting, Mr. Hunt.) Anyway, please review! I'm outta here... Until Tuesday, at least.**


	9. Chapter 9, Practice

**Kairi: Apologies for the late update, I keep forgetting to program my schedule into my phone. Oh well. Here it is, enjoy, and please leave a review on your way out. (I don't own anything other than OC's.)**

* * *

**Hope Flies – Chapter Nine**

**Practice**

Twyla yawns, and you realize how late it's gotten again. "Come on, let's catch a few Z's… We can pick up again in the morning," she says. You agree wholeheartedly, and in moments, both of you are asleep.

When you wake up, the scene is eerily familiar. You're there, and Twyla isn't. A clock nearby shows that it's barely six a.m.

"Morning," Twyla greets you as she slips into the tent. Two plates with omelets are sat in the middle as you two eat.

"So, where did I leave off? Oh, right. I was going to duel Kyle," she muttered as she returned, having taken the dishes away while you relieved yourself. She sits cross-legged and looks thoughtful. "One of the few duels I didn't actually apply myself to…" she adds quietly. "But one I came close to winning, regardless."

* * *

When we finally secured a duel field, I pulled out my deck and slipped it into the deck slot of my duel disk. All of the other members of CLOZA were elsewhere. I'd seen Dylan and Veronica walking off toward the beach on my way here, while Mayne and Lawrence were out on the redhead's motorcycle.

So, I was clear to use my fairy deck. Besides, I wanted Kyle to know who I was, because he was my best friend. And unlike a few people I could name at that point, I trusted him not to tell the wrong person who I was.

"Somebody wanna toss a coin?" Kyle asked as we settled into our places. I spotted Jack pull out a quarter and look pointedly at him. "Heads." The blonde flipped the coin, and Crow watched as he caught it again.

"Tails," he called. I smiled.

"Looks like I go first then," I said. Kyle sighed theatrically before grinning.

"Duel!"

I drew my first card almost as soon as the word was out of my mouth. I didn't lose the smirk as I pulled two cards out of the six in my hand. "And I'll start it by summoning Element Magician in attack position, followed by a face-down," I stated. "Your turn."

It was obvious by now that Kyle had noticed just how many people were in the stadium, and his hand shook a bit as he drew his first card. "I'll throw two facedowns before activating this—my Reload spell!" he declared. Once restoring his hand, he nodded to himself. "And then I'll activate Swords of Revealing Light. That ought to slow you down a little," he said, before indicating that it was my turn with a nod.

I drew a card and smiled ever so slightly. "It won't do you a lot of good, I'm afraid, seeing as how my De-Spell is a rather handy way to get rid of it. And then I think I'll summon my Element Valkyrie to the field to join Element Magician," I said. I stopped to look over the cards in my hand again. I had a couple of choices, but… "I'm also activating Big Bang Shot and equipping it to my Element Valkyrie," I added.

Kyle was starting to scowl slightly, but I spotted a few of the tell-tale signs that he was starting to focus on the duel rather than the (small) crowd.

"Now then… Element Magician, attack his life points directly!" I called. My monster charged up an energy ball and lobbed it at him, taking a 1500 point chunk out of his life points. "Next up… Element Valkyrie!"

Kyle shook his head. "Uh-uh. Once is enough, thanks. And I've got my Sakuretsu Armor to back that up," he said, his trap flipping up to reveal the menacing armor. Element Valkyrie, Big Bang Shot and all, was destroyed. "And thanks to your own card, Element Valkyrie's no longer in play," he added. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I know how my cards work," I grumbled. "And since I haven't got anything else to do…"

Kyle drew his card and almost immediately summoned it in face-down defense position. "I'll just leave this monster here for you to play with for this turn," he said. I sighed. He was having a bad draw…

"Alright, my turn then," I replied, drawing a card of my own. "I'll summon Element Soldier to the field in attack position… And now, he'll attack your face-down monster," I added. Kyle's monster flipped up to reveal Nettles, and was destroyed. "Alright, Element Magician. Time to take another shot at his life points!"

Kyle's life points dropped by another 1500.

I skimmed over my cards again quickly before pulling one out and depositing it in my duel disk. "I'll just throw another facedown and end this turn," I decided. Kyle nodded and drew.

He then summoned another monster face-down. "I'll throw this guy down and end my turn again," he said simply. I noted that he didn't look too particularly unhappy, so destroying it would probably help him some. I mentally shrugged it off and drew a card to start my turn.

"I'll just have to get rid of that face-down monster then. Go on, Element Soldier!" I declared. And as Giant Rat flipped up and out, I wanted to smile. Yup, that'd probably help.

"Thanks to Giant Rat's effect, I can special summon a monster from my deck in attack mode, so long as it has equal to or less than 1500 attack points. Since I don't have anything with that many attack points to maybe encourage you to not attack, I'll just have to bring this little guy out," he said. "Let's go, Glow-Up Bulb!"

I nodded to myself as the plant appeared on the field. "And it's leaving as soon as it's come," I told Kyle. "Go on, Element Magician, take it out!"

Kyle's life points dropped to 3600, while mine remained happily at 8000… Wait, where have I seen this before…?

"I'm also going to set a facedown before I end my turn," I added. Kyle smiled and drew a card.

"In that case, I'll start this turn off by activating Jar of Greed. If I have to explain this one to you, you obviously don't know your classic cards," he said, drawing another two cards. "And thanks to Glow-Up Bulb's ability, by sending the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, I can bring it back. But I'm not done yet, because I'm also activating Graceful Revival to bring back the Nettles you destroyed earlier," he declared, the two plant-types appearing on his field.

I crossed my arms, pretending to be bored. "What are you going to do, plant a garden?" I asked. I could hear Crow say something that sounded an awful lot like 'she says that now…' and thought I heard Jack reply 'we should introduce him to Akiza.'

Kyle, however, was staring at me like I'd grown a second head. "You know, don't you? What I'm about to do," he asked. I smiled and nodded, and he grinned. "I was starting to think so! Glad to see you got to come after all," he replied.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to duel," I reminded him. He laughed and pulled a card out of the group in his hand.

"Well in that case, for the audience only, since you already know what I'm up to… I'm tributing Glow-Up Bulb and Nettles for a Tribute Summon," he said. "Time for a little retribution… I summon Three Thousand Needles! Now, let's get rid of that pesky Element Magician!"

I smirked. "You hope," I joked, activating one of my traps. "Because I'm activating the Ordeal of a Traveler that's been patiently waiting for you to try and attack."

Kyle scowled. "I hate that thing," he grumbled. I just laughed.

"Well, you've got one card to choose from, so pick your poison wisely," I replied, holding up the one card that my 'hand' consisted of. Kyle frowned.

"Spell?" he guessed. I sighed and flashed it so that he'd see the green, but not which card it was. He grinned and pointed at my magician, and his monster's attack commenced.

Since Three Thousand Needles had 3000 attack points, it was my turn to take the 1500 points of damage.

"Your turn," Kyle informed me. I nodded and drew my next card.

"I'll shift Element Soldier into Defense position and then throw a facedown. That'll do for this turn," I decided. Kyle smiled and drew.

"That's all fine and good for you, but I'm starting this turn out by activating Premature Burial to bring back my Giant Rat," he said, his life points dropping to 2800. "Now, Giant Rat will attack your Element Soldier, leaving Three Thousand Needles open to attack your life points directly!"

"I'd bother with Ordeal of a Traveler, but since the one card in my hand hasn't changed…" I grumbled. As my own life points dropped by 3000, I couldn't help but feel proud of the sandy-blonde haired boy. He'd come a long way since I had first met him.

"I guess you're just getting soft," Kyle said.

"Whatever. I've decided it's time to mess up with whatever you may or may not be planning," I told him. "I'm activating Disturbance Strategy, so now you get to add your hand to your deck, shuffle, and draw as many cards as you put in."

Kyle sighed theatrically. "Because of course you'd figure out what I was onto," he said sarcastically, drawing his new hand. I smiled, knowing that he was just joking around.

"Don't get too sarcastic, kiddo, you'll lose focus," I warned teasingly. "You done?"

Kyle shrugged. "For this turn. But I will have my revenge," he replied.

I drew my card with a laugh. "Well then, I'll just have to summon this," I told him. "Come join the party, Raging Flame Sprite!" Kyle gave me an odd look.

"It's only got 100 attack points…" he said quietly. I nodded.

"For now. But I'll help him out by activating the United We Stand that I've been holding since this duel started," I replied. Kyle crossed his arms.

"He's still only got 900 attack points," he stated. I rolled my eyes.

"I noticed, but he has a handy effect," I shot back. "It's called, let's go shut annoying kids up by attacking them directly." The fiery sprite took off across the field, leaving Kyle's life points down at 1900. When it returned to my side of the field, its attack increased by one thousand. "And also thanks to its ability, when it successfully attacks you directly, it gains some attack."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've noticed. My turn?" he asked. I just nodded, and he drew a card. "Then I'll summon Nettles to the field, and with that… Three Thousand Needles, get rid of that Flame Sprite!"

I sighed as my life points fell by 1100. With both of his other monsters on the field, he'd have no trouble finishing me.

"Now go, Nettles and Giant Rat! Finish off her life points!" he called. I stood there and smiled as my life points dropped to 0.

"I should really stop going easy on you, but I still can't get the memory of that kid who didn't know the difference between a trap card and a spell card out of my head," I told him as he walked over. He sighed.

"I noticed… I figured you were either having a really bad draw or your were going easy on me, and all things considered…" he trailed off. We started to head up to where the three men were waiting. Well, where we had left them, anyway. "By the way… once I started dueling, I barely even noticed the crowd," he added. I rolled my eyes.

"There wasn't that much of a crowd, but yeah… just stay focused on the duel and everything else will just kinda fade out," I told him. He smiled as Zylar, Jack, and Crow walked up to us.

"Were you being serious about going easy on him?" Zylar asked, looking ever-so-slightly disappointed. I smiled.

"Zylar, meet Kyle. Kyle, my brother Zylar," I introduced the two. "And yeah, I did. Like I told him, it's kinda hard to get the image of a kid who doesn't know the difference between a spell card and a trap card out of your head."

Kyle groaned. "Shut up…"


	10. Chapter 10, Tournament

**Hope Flies – Chapter Ten**

**Tournament**

Twyla stands and leaves for a moment, a look of concern on her face. You stand and exit the tent, looking around again, only for her to come running back out of one of the hidden doors.

"Get down and stay quiet!" she calls, hitting a switch that causes a shadow to fall over the area. Looking up, you see that the skylight is quickly growing dark.

It's completely dark in only a few moments, the only light being two glowing silver orbs, about eye height… Oh.

You realize suddenly that you haven't been hallucinating, and that Twyla's eyes really do glow. The silver mark you'd seen earlier on her shoulder begins to glow as well, and you can hear her gasp. The mark becomes darkened, and you assume that she's placed her hand over it.

"No, no, no… Brunnhilde, help!" she starts chanting. The silver glow from her shoulder fades, but now one of her eyes is glowing gold.

You then hear what sounds like gravel crunching under feet. It's utterly silent in Twyla's sanctuary, and you can hear everything inside. Muffled voices reach your ears. You consider standing, but then you feel a hand on your shoulder.

Glancing up, you see Twyla's eyes, and suddenly the only thing you want to do is stay down and stay quiet.

Twyla, on the other hand, moves away from you silently.

Some time later, you wake without even realizing you had fallen asleep. The light from the skylight above is filtering down through the trees again, and Twyla is off to one side, looking concerned. You stand and walk over to her, and she looks up at you apologetically.

"What happened?" you ask. She sighs and looks away.

"Dylan," she says simply. You frown, and she smiles sadly. "He's been after me since before where my story started," she explains. Then she looks up, towards the sky.

The two of you sit in silence before she sighs.

"Well, I've begun my tale, and we've gotten this far already, so… Do you want to hear more?" she asks. You nod.

"Somehow, your story will lead to this, won't it?" you ask. "I'd like to know how you got here, and why you seemed to think it necessary I learn about this."

Twyla smiles. "Alright. Let's continue then."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen! The time has come for the United States Midwest Regional Tournament, right here in Chicago!"

I smiled. Zylar looked over at me from where he sat two seats down. Somehow, Kyle had managed to sneak over here to sit with us, and he and Zylar had been happily chatting away the whole time.

At least, until the MC decided it was time to get the crowds fired up.

"Over one hundred duelists have signed up to compete in this tournament, but by this time one week from now, only one will reign supreme! Let's get ready to roll!" he continued.

I shot Zylar a look over the seats, and he hinted to Kyle that we were leaving, resulting in the three of us departing as the MC announced the first two duels.

"And because we are starting with the preliminary rounds, we'll be doubling up these duels. So, first out on these fields will be… Silvia Coulman versus Adam Dowson on field one, and Casey Elam versus Colton Brummett on field two!"

I stopped for a moment as Silvia walked out to meet her opponent, who screamed 'farmer' in my eyes. He looked kinda familiar though…

"Hey, isn't Adam from Auburn?" Kyle asked. I turned and shrugged.

"Heck if I know. Come on. We'll know soon enough if Silvia survives the preliminaries," I told him.

Crow and Jack managed to intercept the three of us as we headed for a coffee shop nearby.

"So, which division are you guys in?" Crow asked. I smiled.

"I'm in fourth, Zylar's in third. You two?" I replied.

Crow grinned. "Fourth here too. Jack's in second," he told me. I looked thoughtful.

"So I'd have to beat you _and_ Zylar before I could duel him… If I even get that far," I muttered. Kyle smiled.

"Relax. If you trust your new deck the way you do the old, I doubt anyone could stop you," he told me. I crossed my arms.

"My record with Zylar is one win, one loss. And I only won because he took Exodia out of his deck," I informed the kid. Kyle frowned.

"Yeah, that'd do you in," he agreed. Zylar laughed.

"Hey, even with Exodia, I barely won," he said. I shrugged.

"I never cared for cards like Exodia anyway," I replied.

"You say that like you know someone else who has a card with a similar effect," Jack commented. I smiled.

"Yeah. Old friend of mine back before Kairi and Marik moved," I said. "Star's Galactic deck was always a pain anyways, but… Yeah, if you ever duel her, don't let her dragon's defense hit zero, or you'll lose. Oh, and don't let her get all four gas giants on the field either."

"Is that even possible? I thought the legal limit for a card in your deck was three?" Crow asked. I smiled.

"Her Galactic Heroes are named after the planets, so when I say 'gas giants'…" I trailed off. Crow nodded.

"Okay, that makes more sense," he said. Jack frowned.

"What happens if she gets all four gas giants on the field?" he asked. I sighed.

"Same thing as what happens if Nebula's defense hits zero. She can special summon Galactic Hero – Solaris from her hand," I told them.

"Yup. And then you lose."

I turned around in shock, while everyone else just jumped at the sudden addition to our group. Gold-streaked silver hair was pulled up in a curly ponytail that hung down her back, while blue eyes sparkled.

I turned back around and took a few deep breaths before rounding on the girl again. "Do not sneak up on me like that!" I half-yelled at her. She bit her lip.

"Sorry…" she apologized. I rolled my eyes and focused on getting my heartbeat back under control.

"Star…" I started warningly. She cringed.

"I honestly didn't mean to startle everyone," she said quickly. I just groaned, while Kyle laughed.

"Hey, I remember you now," he said. "You were by our house a lot for a couple of weeks."

Star looked down at him confusedly, then smiled. "Ah, you must be Dylan's little brother," she realized with a smile. It faded quickly enough though, as she looked off to the side, not really seeing anything in particular.

"Yeah. Hey, why were you coming over so often?" Kyle persisted. I shot him a look as Star's expression faded into a blank, almost dreamy one.

"He wanted to talk with me about something. I didn't want to talk about it. I quit coming," she stated simply. Then she looked down at Kyle and smiled. "I'll see you later, okay? I think I'm gonna head to the beach…"

I frowned and caught the edge of her sleeve as she walked by. She just gave me a smile, but I'd long since learned to translate them.

She'd be at the beach for a while.

"Hey, let's go get something to eat. I haven't had breakfast yet, and Jack's dueling at 1:30. Might as well get something into his system, since I doubt he'll have time to eat lunch at his normal time," Crow suggested. Zylar nodded and agreed, and the two walked off, talking all the way.

"Our brothers seem to get along rather well," Jack commented. I gave him a look.

"Crow is your brother?" I asked. Jack shrugged.

"He, Yusei and I were raised by Martha after we lost our parents. The two of them are the closest I'll ever have to siblings," he replied. I nodded.

"I had a brother… a twin. He didn't make it. He's been dead for… oh geez. It was… seventeen years ago… a little longer," I said. Kyle bit his lip.

"Didn't you say he lived for about a month before he died?" he asked. I nodded.

Jack sighed. "I'd probably feel worse if I knew what it was actually like to have a family," he said. "So I'm not going to say 'I understand,' because I don't. Not really."

I smiled. "Thank you. You see, this is why I like people like you. You're honest, even if you don't mean to be," I said. Zylar looked over his shoulder.

"Are you three coming or not?" he asked. Kyle, Jack and I had lagged behind a ways, so I just rolled my eyes.

"Well sorry if our brains aren't directly wired to our stomachs," I grumbled back. Kyle laughed, and Jack cracked a smile, while Zylar just rolled his eyes.

"Kyle!"

The boy to my left froze and turned. I turned slightly as well, only enough so I could see who it was. I slipped my hand through the hair still tucked behind my right ear, and it fell down into my face, effectively hiding a good deal of it.

"Hey, Vera," Kyle grumbled. Veronica looked at me suspiciously.

"Wait a second, aren't you that girl that ran into me a couple days ago?" she asked. I crossed my arms.

"Excuse me for walking on a sidewalk," I snapped. She stuck her nose in the air and walked around to Zylar.

"Come on, sweetie, you don't need trouble like her," she said, way too sweetly. He just shot me a look.

I clenched my fists and stormed over to her. She was pissing me off as it was.

"My brother and I would appreciate it if you would take your filthy hands off of him," I hissed. Veronica looked between me and Zylar in shock.

"Brother!?" she finally managed to sputter out. Zylar freed his arm from the woman and took me gently by mine.

"Let's go, Twyla. I don't think she wants her arms torn off," he prompted. I growled under my breath as we walked across the street, and I barely heard Kyle's chirped comment to his sister.

"See ya sis! I got celebrities to hang out with."

I cracked a smile at that one as he ran up to us. "You know, I don't think Crow and I classify as celebrities," I told him. He shrugged.

"Whatever. Jack calls Crow his brother, and you call Zylar yours. Doesn't matter to me, though," he said.

I laughed. "I know, kiddo. I know."

* * *

**Kairi: So yeah... Veronica, you fail. Anyways, again, I apologize for the late update. The next one will be on time, I promise. (Please review. That helps lots.)  
**


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